Ralph Webster > Ralph's Quotes

“I can’t recite the chronology or elaborate on the facts. I can’t explain the reasons or defend how we lived our lives. What I can tell you is how the events of 1933 sowed the seeds that fundamentally changed our future, that there was little hand-wringing or emotion, that circumstances were beyond control, that there was no recourse or appeal. I can tell you that events were incremental, that the unbelievable became the believable and, ultimately, the normal.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“Life does find a way to create a balance somewhere between smiles and tears. And, like a pendulum's swing, life seldom stays in one place. Life keeps on moving until, one day, it stops.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“Nothing about these times makes any sense. Nothing. Putting it to words only makes it sound too simple.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“I can tell you that events were incremental, that the unbelievable became the believable and, ultimately, the normal.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“I thought those were others. Soon, I was to learn that they were us.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“Visit me before I die. We can enjoy one another's company. A funeral is a rather one-sided affair.”
― Ralph Webster

“He told me that what he owned and accumulated didn't matter. He still had his family. We still had our future. Go forward, You can't look back. It will destroy you if you do... Ever since that day, I have seen the world through a different prism.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“The way I see it, religion, has done our family more harm than good. For me, faith has never been a source of comfort... For herself, Mela always missed having that sense of identity. She had a longing to belong... Long ago, we found that compromise.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“With all her heart, Mom believed in opportunity for everyone and privilege for no one. She put her children first, and her faith and trust in the American dream.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“All of us have parents. Generations pass. We are not unique. Now it is our family's turn.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“My parents have lived longer than most and have expected very little. We have been blessed in too many ways to count.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“I've made my peace. He will always be part of me. I don't need to watch him die. I am just glad I was able to watch him live.”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other

“Is there a magical time when children become parents to their parents?”
― Ralph Webster, A Smile in One Eye: a Tear in the Other